What Goes Around, Comes Around
by jax2u
Summary: Janet finds out that Gavin is not Sam's real dad, but she wants answers! Hannah and Eddie implied.
1. the question

Ever since Hannah dropped the bomb on her at Sully's a few hours earlier, Janet was in a whirl wind of confusion. She knew it was too good to be true before; she and Eddie had sex for the first time and he still stuck around. He didn't run for the hills early the next morning, he stayed, in her bed, and stayed there until he walked her out of her house at 3:45 in the afternoon on her way to work. It was an amazing breakthrough in their relationship, a huge step, and she knew everything was just too good to be true. Sure enough, Hannah had to ruin her perfect day by telling her a gigantic secret.

At first Janet was in utter shock; then once it sank in, she didn't know whether to be pissed off that her best friend was hiding something, a pretty big important something, from her for over 10 years, or to be supportive because she _knew_ Hannah. For Hannah to keep something that like from anyone, especially Janet, it had to be something pretty immense. _And then_ not to elaborate on the secret and just, disappear, for the rest of the night… Janet was going insane! So, she went to the only other person she could, Eddie.

After her shift ended at Sully's it was pretty late. Since they were ridiculously slammed tonight because of the Spelling Bee, Janet got off even later than usual. But Eddie wouldn't mind if she came by; she knew that, she just hoped he wouldn't mind talking about it. She also hoped that he would know something- anything about it. Even though there were no lights on in the house, she saw through the window that Phil was still plopped on the couch, watching the late news. She decided to just walk in like she did so many times before.

"Hey, Phil. It's me…" Janet could tell Physical Phil was not expecting anyone else to come to the house that night because he was white as a ghost, clinching onto a baseball bat as if to knock out whoever was coming through their door. "Sorry to stop by so late, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, hi Janet. No, it's just, I wasn't expecting someone to come in. I guess I forgot to lock the door, good thing it was just you! What brings you by? Well, obviously you are here to see Eddie."

"Yeah, I just have to ask him something real quick. Is he in his room? Do you know if he's still awake?"

"Uh- I think he is. I heard him make a ruckus not too long ago so."

They chuckled and she replied, "Thanks Phil. I'm just ganna, go upstairs…"

"Right. Bye…" Phil watched her walk up the stairs light as a feather, shook his head, smiled and went back to his couch.

When Janet reached Eddie's door, she rested her ear against it to try to hear if he was awake or not. She decided in the car that if he was awake, she would talk to him. If he wasn't, she would just wait until the morning. She would feel bad if she woke him and he ended up not knowing anything about it. However, she heard him sneeze- yep, he was still up.

She slowly opened the door and peaked her head in the room, "God Bless you…" Eddie looked up from his magazine and saw Janet; she still managed to glow after a long night shift.

"Hey. What, what are you doing here? Come here…" He patted the spot next to him on the bed. "You must be exhausted after the Spelling Bee. Everything ok?" She sat on the bed next to him and he began to take off her coat. He kissed her on her forehead and slowly made his way down the side of her face. She realized he was getting the wrong idea, so she kissed him on the lips once and then began…

"Eddie, everything is great. I loved today so much-"

"And last night." She began to blush. If she didn't get to the point, they would only repeat what happened the night before.

"And last night… but I have a question." She paused and looked at his face and could tell she got his full attention. "I need you to be completely honest with me because if you're not and I find out later that you lied to me, I swear to God Eddie we will be done. As friends, lovers, neighbors, everything."

"Okay…" He turned his body towards hers and pulled her closer.

"Are you Sam's biological dad?"

Eddie was stunned. _How did she find out? What does she know exactly? __And when?__ Why now, why now when he asked Hannah multiple times before so say something? Now, just when things were beginning to get serious between them, their relationship is put to the test. Crap._ He didn't know what to say. He had this blank look on his face, his heart began to pound, and she could tell she hit a sore spot.

"Eddie… you are. Aren't you."

"Janet, I, ah- thought that Gavin Goddard guy was Sam's dad."

"But he's not. Hannah told me tonight that Ray wants to adopt Sam when they get married but she doesn't know what to do because if she said okay, then she would have to tell him, and probably everyone else for that matter, that Gavin isn't Sam's father."

"Oh."

"And well, let's just say for the rest of the night I was going over and over this in my head. I mean this is huge! She was-is lying to everyone, including Sam, about his own flesh and blood. I don't know who the father of my God son is, he's 11 years old Eddie! He doesn't deserve this, Hannah should not have done this." Eddie didn't know what to say, or how to say it. So he just let her continue on. "But even though she is deceiving her own child, she would not have done it if it wasn't absolutely necessary. So I was trying to come up with reasons as to why she would lie... whoever is the real father either doesn't know he has a child out there because Hannah hasn't told him, or he does know and they just decided it would be best to say someone else was the father, _or_ no one knows that Hannah slept with Sam's dad except Hannah and Sam's dad."

"Or, Hannah doesn't know who Sam's real father is." It was like a light bulb went off in Janet's head. She hadn't thought about that scenario before. She just assumed that Hannah knew who Sam's dad was…


	2. the girl

"Why do you say that? Did Hannah tell you something Eddie?"

"Do you _remember_ what happened the summer after we graduated Janet? How hard it was for the guys, and Hannah, to lose Nick. How hard it was, for me. So much went down that summer Janet and I'm not surprised if Hannah doesn't even know who your God son's real father is. She was the go-to-girl for any guy within a ten mile radius of this place!"

"Hey, stop it."

"What? It's true. I'm sorry to say, she's my friend too, but Hannah wasn't really thinkin a whole lot that _year_."

"I know. She wasn't the only one who had a hard time that year though. You did too. I may have not been real close to you Eddie, but I knew enough to know that losing Nick like that- you were hurt. Bad. Which is why I came over here, to put my mind at ease, or not, for that matter."

"Yeah, I know. Wait, why _did_ you ask me if I was Sam's dad?" Janet just glared at him. Eddie knew he had no choice but to tell her his and Hannah's secret. He didn't quite know how she would take the news, but he had to. Out of respect for Janet, he had to tell her, even if it happened a lifetime ago. Hannah was her best friend, he was her boyfriend and if it meant he lost her now, well it would hurt less than if he lost her later. Sure it would still hurt like hell now, but he couldn't imagine what it might feel like later on.

"Okay, fine. You had a right to ask. But honestly, I don't know if I am his dad or not."

"Wait, how do you not know? Just say whatever it is Eddie… please." He took her hands and squeezed them tight. She began to look down, impatiently awaiting his answer. Deep down inside she knew Eddie had a special interest in Sam. She just didn't know why, until today. Hannah told her before how Eddie would take Sam to the movies every now and then, or help him practice baseball. But if she had to be honest with herself, it wouldn't matter if Eddie was Sam's dad. She wouldn't like him any less, she would still be Sam's God mother, Hannah would still be her best friend, she would just see things in the light a little differently.

He took a deep breath, caressed her chin and tilted her face so her eyes met his. "Janet, you should know something, something that happened a lifetime ago. Something that was just, spur of the moment; I tried to get Hannah to tell you before, way before we even got involved but she just, was too afraid. Afraid of losing you, hurting you. Do you even realize that you are Hannah's one and only girl friend?"

"Eddie, seriously, the pep talk isn't helping me… just making me freak out even more."

"Sorry. Ok, here goes… Hannah and I slept together."

"Oh. Okay…" She knew it, that explains _everything_.

"It was the second night Nick was gone, Hannah was really beat up over it. And you know how Stacy left me… we were just two friends who desperately needed to feel wanted and in that moment, we were there for each other. But it was a onetime thing and-"

"Eddie, it's okay. I kinda figured something happened before between you two, but I didn't know what."

"Really?"

"Really. Am I upset that my best friend and my boy friend did it before? Yeah. But like you said, it was a lifetime ago. I wasn't even friends with _you_; as for Hannah, _I_ couldn't even keep her straight that summer. I can believe that the "town player" and the "measly pregnant girl" got close once before. Honestly, I'm not surprised it was only one time!"

Eddie couldn't believe what he was hearing. Janet just _made fun_ of him and Hannah sleeping together. "You are taking this really- I didn't expect you to say that!"

She laughed at the thought of what she even said. "Yeah well, we are all different people now. Hannah is one of the most strongest woman I've ever met, and you, you changed so much, I don't even know where to start."

"You changed a lot too! Before, you were Hannah's tag-along girl, now, you are Janet Meadows. Eddie Latekka's girl."

She flashed him one of her signature smiles and said playfully, "I'm your girl?"

"Yeah… well, you're definitely not my guy…" They laughed together and she pushed him on his back onto the bed. Eddie pulled on her shirt and kissed her overpoweringly on the lips. Whenever he starts to kiss her like that, there aint nothin else in the world on her mind; not even Sam's paternity. He had a way of distracting her till the end.

That night, Janet fell asleep in Eddie's arms not even realizing she _still_ did not understand his answer to her question.


	3. the not right surprise

The next morning Janet woke up to Eddie's alarm clock buzzing in her ear. She couldn't believe it was that time already, oh well, time to start another day. She rolled over to make Eddie turn off the annoyingly loud buzzing noise, but he was already gone. She figured he was just in the bathroom or getting his morning coffee (and hopefully hers too) down in the kitchen; then she looked at the clock and read 9:00.

_What the… 9:00am! I slept that hard?__ Must have really needed the sleep.__ I didn't even hear him get up for work, thank God for that alarm!_

She slapped the clock to stop the noise and a piece of paper fell on the floor from the night stand. Actually, it was three post-it notes stuck together, one underneath the other. She laughed at the site of them… that's Latekka for you! She picked up the yellow post-its and began to read…

_" J__- sorry I left b4 u got up, Nick would have my head it I was late again. I set the alarm 4 u a little early so we can do lunch b4 __ur__ shift and finish our conversation from last night. __C u at 11 at our spot.__ E. _

_PS. There's a surprise 4 u downstairs, ask __Phiz__."_

Before Janet knew it, she was on her feet. She sprung the bedroom door open and thumped down the stairs. When she reached the hallway, she noticed Phil was looking at her confused. "Um, hey Janet."

"Morning! Did Eddie leave me something before he left this morning?" Janet was now in the family room practically jumping out of her skin with excitement.

"Oh yeah! Um… here it is." Phil went over to the coffee table and mustered through old magazines and left over beer bottles looking for her surprise.

"Come on Phil!"

"Sorry- oh wait, got it! But I have strict instructions to follow, so close your eyes."

Janet put her hands on her hip and was losing her patients. "Are you serious?"

"Just do it. The faster those lids close the sooner I can give you what's behind my back."

Janet grunted, closed her eyes and held out her hands. Phil put something small, thin and square in her palms. It was like a piece of paper but it was sturdier.

"Alright, open them!"

She gazed her eyes on a picture of her and Eddie from yesterday at her house. Eddie wanted a pic of her on his phone so when she called him, he could see her face _and_ hear her voice. Eventually it turned into a camera phone war to see who could take the goofiest picture. Once Janet got her hands on the phone, she took a picture of her kissing him; a few on the cheek and some on the lips. Then the war ending and they focused their attention more on each other and not the phone.

With Phil's help, Eddie printed two copies of the picture where she was kissing him on the cheek; one copy for her and one for him.

"I don't understand, how did he get this printed? We took this on his phone… yesterday!"

"Hey, I think you are forgetting who his other roommate is, besides you. People may call me Physical Phil but I am a genius with computers!"

They laughed together and then Phil went back to watching the morning news, but Janet just stood there, staring at the picture. _Wow, this is- amazing. Look at __us,__ we look so… naturally happy. __Comfortable.__ How is it that this man makes me so happy? I can't believe I took this picture; I can't believe that Janet Meadows is kissing someone so ridiculously attractive, who just happens to be all mine… This is the first picture I'm in where I'm kissing a guy who isn't related to me. I __can get used to this_

Phil broke her concentration saying, "Uh, Janet, you ok?"

"Oh, yeah I'm great! I'm just ganna go upstairs, get my things and head on out." Phil smiled, knowing full well what was going through her mind.

She bolted back up the stairs, (stopping in the bathroom to first to brush her teeth) and immediately pressed the number 1 on her phone. She didn't know if he was in the shop working or on a site, so she called his cell to make sure she caught him. With the picture in one hand and her phone in the other, she waited for him to pick up…

Eddie jumped a little as he felt his phone vibrating through his pocket. _Who in the world is calling me this early? __I put the newspaper on the kitchen table, there is no way Phil could have missed it. _He flipped open his phone and saw her picture on the screen. He figured she received her surprise… "Morning sunshine!"

"Baby I love it! I can't believe you had Phil print this so fast… I'm going to frame it and put it in my living room next to my other pictures the minute I get home." As she talked Eddie was imagining her in his mind: gripping onto the pic, beaming with delight still wearing his hoodie and shorts she slept in, with her tossed up hair still shiny from work yesterday.

"Wait, you're going to frame it? I thought you might put it in your car or wallet- or something, that's why it's not a 4x6 size. Then you can have it with you always…"

"But I don't want to ruin it either."

"So I'll have Phil print another one of us, then you'll have two pictures. Is that cool?"

"Cool." For a few seconds neither of them spoke, they just listened to each other breathing. Janet broke the silence saying, "Eddie, thank you. I really love it."

He grinned and said in his smirky voice, "I know. It's because I'm in it!"

"Ha ha ha!"

"Alright, well I better go. Guess I should try to get some work done. See you later?"

"Course."

"Bye J."

"Bye…"

Eddie flipped his phone closed, sat back into his chair at his desk and looked at his new picture propped up against the computer monitor. It was the other copy he had Phil make of him and Janet from the previous day. When he looked up, Nick was staring at him shaking his head.

"What?"

"You're done for Eddie."

"What are you talking about exactly…?"

"Janet! You're falling for her!"

"I am not!"

"Oh, hate to be the one to tell you this man, but you are."

"Look, Janet and I are just in a good place. We like spending time together, we are happy. That's all."

"And when you are not with her, you dream about her. Or talk to her on the phone, give her a quick text, 'Just thinkin bout you babe.'"

"You don't talk or text Aubrey?"

"No. Not like you two!"

Eddie pondered what his friend just told him. _Crap. __ Nick is right. We do send a lot of texts, especially lately. And everything, everywhere__ I see her. Am I falling for her? Does she feel the same way about me? Guess I'll find out after lunch today. After I tell her about Sam, I'll know then if we even stand a chance of having a future together._

_What the hell am I thinking?! Have a future together?! We never really talk about the future… we don't even talk about what will happen tomorrow let alone 10 years from now. What- 10 years from now?!?! Stop Eddie, just stop! Stop thinking! _

Eddie's eyes glanced back at the picture of Janet kissing him on the cheek. He had to admit, they did look awfully good together. _Damn it. __I can't stop thinking about her… __who am I kidding? __O__nly one hour and forty-five minutes till I can see her._

* * *

After Janet left Eddie's house she went back to hers and jumped in the shower. She slid the picture between the mirror and its frame above her dresser. It was the perfect place; she could see it first thing in the morning and right before she went to bed, and it would not get ruined. Most importantly, during those frigid nights when she was alone and missed her man, she could see the picture from her bed.

As soon as she finished getting ready she left for their lunch date. Even though she fell asleep in his arms the night before, it seemed like an eternity since she last saw Eddie. He said he would get the food and drinks, so all she had to do was meet him in their special spot. Janet left a little earlier than she needed so she could collect her thoughts on the walk over to the park.

**Before Eddie and Janet started dating, they seemed to always see each other in the park. Whether they were passing through, with other people, or drunk in the middle of the night, the bench under the oak tree in the corner of the park became their not-so-secret-special-spot. And since it was right in the center of town, it was the perfect place to meet up during a work day once they did start dating. It was a place near and dear to both of them. ****Whether they would admit it or not.**

With all the excitement she totally forgot about yesterday night… what Hannah told her about Sam's dad. Then she remembered what Eddie told her; he had sex with Hannah. Even though she would never admit it, it made her stomach turn. She knew Eddie slept around and the thought of him being with anyone else but her did make her uneasy, but Eddie and Hannah… it finally sunk in. Janet knew she had no right to feel angry, or jealous, or want to go yell at her best friend, but she did. Of course she wasn't actually going to cause a fight with Hannah; after all, **she** was Eddie's girl, not Hannah. Janet decided to casually bring it up the next time they hung out; she wouldn't make a big deal about it, she just wanted to hear from her best friend why she was finding out about this _now._

Janet was so into thought she did not even see Eddie walking towards her. He plopped down on the bench next to her; he was so close to her body he was practically in her lap. It was hard not to notice him then. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and said into her ear, "What you thinkin about?"

She shrugged, "Nothing really. Just how much my life has changed recently."

"Good change?" She nodded her head and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Good, now let's eat! I'm starving. I went to the deli, got you your turkey on wheat, **no** mustard, and my roast beef sub."

"Did you get the chips?"

"How can you _not_ go to the deli and get their homemade kettle fried tomato basil chips?!" She giggled, took her sandwich and chips and they shared a Diet Coke.

Janet started their conversation by saying, "So, guess where I put the picture."

"Umm, in your living room?"

"Nope! On my mirror above my dresser."

"That's perfect! Then you can look at how cute we are together every morning. Well, every morning you are not at my house."

"I know, I thought so too!"

"Guess where I put mine…"

"You have one too?"

"Uh, yeah! Why wouldn't I want a picture of you kissing me?" She blushed a little and giggled again; he tended to have the effect to either make her blush or laugh, or both, **every** time they were together.

"Okay well I know it's _not_ in your room because I was there this morning. So, your truck?"

"Nope. My desk at work."

"Oh babe, now _that_ is perfect!" She kissed his roast beef filled face and they finished their lunch on their special bench in the park.

Since Eddie had not yet brought up the topic involving Sam's paternity, Janet took it upon herself to. "So your note said you wanted to finish our conversation we were having last night, about Sam I assume."

Eddie took a deep breath and sat deeper into the bench. "Yeah, I do-"

"You said that you weren't sure if you were Sam's dad or not…"


	4. the honesty

"Yeah, I don't. I do not know if Sam is my child. I know how that sounds- but it's not that way. Honestly Janet. I mean there is a possibility of Sam being mine, but there is also the possibility of how many other umpteen guys, including Nick. It doesn't sound responsible, and it's not, but we used protection. And I _do_ help Hannah in any way and every way I can. I don't see any of these other guys trailing back here to help her out, demanding to know who the father is. I'm not so sure any of those guys even know there is a Sam Daniels."

The whole time Eddie was explaining, Janet just watched him. Listened to him. Trying, so hard, not to interrupt him but to encourage him to continue on.

"You know how Hannah's parents were at the time; they had her on a leash after they found out she was pregnant. I'm surprised she buckled down as fast as she did!"

"Yeah, her mom seemed to take charge after the word spread."

"Which is why Hannah didn't do a paternity test. Even if she wanted to, trying to track down all the guys would be a headache. I mean yea I could do one, but is it even worth it now? If I am Sam's dad everyone's lives would spin around so fast… it would hurt more than help."

"Yeah, but-"

"Janet, please. I need you to _not_ tell me how stupid I am. Because I know what I've done, or haven't done, isn't exactly something to be proud of. But if Ray wants to adopt Sam, then I guess we have to do a paternity test. And if I'm not his dad, then I'm not his dad. If I am, I still can't take care of him. As much as I despise Ray, he can give Sam a better life than I could."

"You don't know that."

"Actually, I do. He has a steady job, he already has two kids of his own, and if I ever get married and once Hannah marries Ray, what kind of life would that be for Sam? Living from house to house, here and there, every other weekend. I wouldn't want that for any child."

"Okay, I respect that. You are a noble man Eddie, I know you would look into Sam's best interests. And you can't think about all the 'what ifs' right now. You have to find out anyway if Sam is your child because I have a feeling that Big Cat will want to go full force with this adoption thing. And Nick will have to take a paternity test as well and if **neither **of you are the father, well then Hannah has to pull out the ol' phone book."

"Yeah, I know… but J."

"Yeah baby."

"The real reason why I did not force Hannah to find out who Sam's dad is before, was because if Sam did end up as mine, I do not think I could just watch him grow up from afar. I mean he lives a few blocks away, I would want to be there as his father. And I wasn't sure if Hannah would want me to be his dad. I'm not exactly a great father figure."

"What are you talking about? What would you call what you are doing now? You are _still_ in his life; you support him, and help him with his bug projects, take him to movies or go to his soccer games…"

"I know. And honestly, part of the reason why I do all those things with him is because then, I still get to see him grow up. I feel like if I hang with him sometimes, I'm not missing out on his whole childhood. This way we still get the chance to know each other, as friends. But I wouldn't just be his friend if I knew I was his father. I would be responsible for this child just as much as Hannah."

"That may be true, but remember Eddie, you don't know for sure that you are. So just find out. I think you know it is the right thing to do. For Sam. And for you. You need closure."

"Alright. I'll do it. Only because it came from your mouth." She smiled at him and he kissed her gently on the lips.

"You know Eddie, as flattered as I am, that should not be the only reason why you are doing this."

"It's not, but you gave me the much needed push. And the support… you** will** still be with me if he is mine, right? You won't leave. "

She quickly took his hand and squeezed it tight. "Of course I will still be with you! No matter what that piece of paper says, in the end, Hannah is still my best friend, Sam is still my God son, and you are still my boyfriend." She kissed his hand, a few times, and he smiled, for the first time since the discussion started.

"So, what now? Do I confront Hannah? What are you going to say to her?"

She let out a long breath and a half smile. "Just tell her I told you that Ray wants to adopt Sam and that you know you have to do a paternity test. Tell her you are willing to do whatever it is to clear your name. As for me, I don't know. We have a lot of things to talk about. A lot's happened since our double date debacle!"

"Yeah okay." They both let out a sigh of relief. For him, he was just glad this conversation was over and that she was so calm about it. This would not be the last time they would talk about him potentially being Sam's father, and he wasn't sure exactly how this would play out. But he trusted her; if there was one thing he knew for certain, he was not going to let this affect their relationship. At least not in a bad way, hopefully it would bring them closer together. It was something they could bond over.

For her, well the sigh was to relive some stress. She was not going to bail on Eddie, she fully intended to stick to her words to support him, but if she had to be honest, she was scared! What_ if_ he was Sam's dad? They were just getting to be in a good place, a great place, as a couple, and now this… There was still a lot to be sorted through. Especially with Hannah. On her way to work Janet planned on calling Hannah to set up a gossip-time for only the two of them.

After an hour went by, it was time for both of them to leave for work. Janet felt extremely better than yesterday; he made her relax despite their very serious conversation. He too felt at ease and could not wait to just hang out at Sully's later with his girl. He was still amazed at how much he wanted to be in her presence. Stupid Nick was right… he **was** falling for her. Even though he wasn't entirely sure if Janet was falling for him as well, he figured she had to care about him an awful lot to still stick around after hearing _that_ news.

Eddie learned after lunch that he and Janet do have a chance at a forever. Together.


	5. the confrontation

Janet called Hannah on her way to work as planned. There were some issues that needed to be discussed. Hannah agreed and said she would try to make it to Sully's alone tonight. Even though Eddie was going to hang there tonight as well, Janet knew he could entertain himself for a bit while they talked. Janet did not tell her specifically what she wanted to talk about, but Hannah kinda figured it had something to do with Sam, seeing as she sort of dropped the bomb on Janet the night before.

A few hours into her shift just before the dinner rush, in walked Hannah Jane. You didn't even have to know her to realize she was uneasy and clearly upset over something. When she caught Janet's eye, she signaled to a corner booth where she would be. Janet nodded, and headed back to the bar to make their favorite drink (Jack's and Coke of course.) She figured a little liquor could not hurt either of them at the moment. One cannot forget how the best friends said some not-so-nice words to each other only a few days before, so they were still a little ticked over that debacle. The fact that Hannah lied to Janet about Sam's dad just added to the list.

Janet took her lunch break even though she had 5 more hours on her shift, but Sully said if she needed more time to talk with Hannah, that was alright. Even Sully knew Hannah Jane did not go there unless it was to drink, or to talk to Janet. Which usually meant their topic of conversation had to be important. As she casually walked over to the booth with two short glasses, Janet suddenly became nervous. How exactly to you bring something like this up? And where to start? There was so much they had to talk about; from the fight they had over their boyfriends to why their favorite scrapbooking store closed. Oh well, gotta start somewhere.

Hannah was already settled into the booth when Janet sat down across from her. She slid one of the glasses across the table. "Figured we could use a little."

Hannah smiled for the first time since she got there and raised her glass. "Cheers." The girls both took a swig of their identical drinks and put them down on the table at exactly the same time. You could say they've done that a time or two before. After a few awkward moments of silence, Hannah spoke first.

"So. How are you and Eddie doing?"

"We're good. Real good actually." Without even realizing it Janet's cheeks started to pink and she began to smile. That smile she only made when thinking or talking about him... She had to stop herself from trailing off with naked Eddie images in her head. Even so, she could not fool Hannah. Suddenly they began to act like they were two little school girls who were aching for some juicy dirty boy talk.

"Oh yeah?! Do tell! What happened? When was it? Was it good? Like you expected it to be? Come on, help a girl out!"

"What are you talking about? You have a fiancé!"

"Yeah I know, but Ray has been busy lately with work and well, it's been a week."

They both laughed and Janet started playing around with her glass, swishing the alcohol around, making the ice cubes clink together. "It was, this past weekend… and, well. Let's just say I have never been more comfortable with a man. Ever. And you know how huge that is coming from me."

"That's great Janet! Aw I'm so happy for you guys."

"He didn't even bail afterwards; actually I had to practically push him out the door so I could come here. He was so sweet though. I'm pretty sure he could tell I was nervous too."

"I remember my first time with Ray. I've never been so nervous in my life! Except maybe when Sam was born."

"You were scared when Sam was born?"

"Hell yeah. I mean you have 9 months to prepare for a baby, and you know it's coming, but I don't know. Once you actually see him and physically hold him in your arms, you realize this little guy cannot live without you. As a mother, you are single handedly responsible for this life. To have power like that…"

"Is that why you did it."

"Did what?" Janet tilted her head and gave Hannah the look. The 'you know what I mean, I should not have to go into further detail' look.

Oh crap. Here we go…

"I think so. Honestly, there really was not any specific reason _why_. I was 17 when I got pregnant. I couldn't even remember to put in my retainer every night before bed, how was I supposed to raise a child on my own? I think that was why I looked up to my mom so much. She went through raising a child twice before. I mean she is my mom. Why wouldn't I listen to her?"

Janet shrugged and took another gulp of her drink. She decided she was not going to voice her opinion until Hannah was through.

"Look Janet, I love my son. I would sacrifice myself if it meant he would live. And this, it was just so messed up at the time. I don't even know how many guys I slept that month, and it was too embarrassing to tell each and every one of them that they could be a dad. And Gavin, he was one of them. I didn't even have to tell him that I was pregnant, he figured it out on his own. I hung out with him most of the time after Nick left so we got to know each other. He really was a great guy, even then. He told me that he would support me even if the baby wasn't his. I mean, he had enough family money to go around. So, when my mom found out she suggested I went along with it. I told him, and everyone else that he was the father of my child. From there on out I've never regretted it. Sure he doesn't live here in the Ridge or help raise Sam every day, but he's been a good dad to Sam. He's always there, no matter what."

That's when Hannah Jane downed the rest of her drink. Praying that her friend would accept her decision from the past.

"So what now. Now that Ray wants to adopt Sam, you have to prove that Gavin is Sam's father. I guess the question is, do you plan on rigging the paternity test somehow to prove that he is the biological father, which I will not have any part of if you do, or are you going to track down who Sam's real father is? That might take a while Hannah, but it can be done."

"I'm not going to fake the paternity test! God Janet, good to know you think so highly of me right now."

"Well, what am I supposed to think Hannah? I mean shit, Sam is my _Godson_. I love him and will be there for him till the day I die. So, sorry if I'm not so supportive right now. I'm trying here. It's a lot to take in."

"And you have been the best God mom ever Janet. Really. Which is why I knew I could count on you to help me out with this."

"I will Hannah. I promise. Because I love you too and I know this probably will be the hardest thing you will ever have to deal with in your life. But if I'm going to help you, I need you to be completely honest with me. Deal?"

Hannah simply nodded yes, making a few tears fall in her lap. Janet reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Ok. So truth time?"

"Truth time."

Janet finished her drink now too before she continued on. "I understand why you did it, I mean at least why you think you had to lie to everyone including your son, but didn't you ever wonder? Didn't you ever want to really know who the father of your only child is? Because I gotta say, I even wonder now."

"Every day. Not as often anymore, but in the beginning, when I would feed him at 3:00am alone in the dark, I would just cry. Thinking, did I really do the right thing? Wondering what is future would be like, what our future would be like. If you think this was easy for me, it was not. There was sooo many times I wanted to tell Sam, and you, and anyone close to him. But my mother's words would always come back to me."

"Do you regret lying. I know you don't regret it for Sam's protection, but do you regret lying to everyone else."

Hannah look a deep breath and thought about what she wanted to say. She looked down, looked around the room and at the empty glass in front of her. Janet knew she hit home. Finally in a shaky voice she answered. "I regret it where Sam is concerned. He is old enough now to understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets so angry with me he will disown me for the rest of his life once he hears what I have done! But I was just trying to protect him! And me I guess."

"Oh Hannah. Sam loves you way too much to do something like that. You are his idol. His angel. The one person that scares the monsters away in the closet. Seriously!" The girls started to giggle a bit now. They always joked how Hannah would have to 'scare the monsters away' every night until Sam moves out of the house.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Where you ganna start now? Are you going to tell Ray, or start with some of the potential daddy's?"

"I think I'll start with Ray. If I start telling other people about it and he hears it from someone else besides me, that will be another line I do not want to cross."

"Good idea. But can I ask you one more thing?"

"Shoot."

"Is Eddie one of the possible people on your list?"


	6. the daddy?

"What made you get that idea Janet?"

_Oh God, don't even start lying about this now too. Come on Hannah…_ Janet answered her plain and simple. "Eddie."

Hannah was clearly shocked. She never told Janet that she slept with Eddie back in the day. But she never told Janet all the guys she got busy with in the first place. It wasn't like it was her favorite topic to talk about. But if Eddie told her, then he clearly wanted her to know. He did try to get Hannah to tell Janet before, but for his sake, not her own. Eddie was worried that Janet would freak out and not want to be with him. And Hannah was worried that Janet would never forgive her. It was a lose-lose situation, for everyone. Guess there was no stopping it now though.

"Oh. Okay. Um, I don't know what to say Janet, it was a long time ago."

"Yeah, I know. He told me everything. Why you did it, when you did it. "

"Look Janet, he wanted me to tell you but-"

"He told me that too. So, why didn't you?" Eddie told Janet that Hannah was afraid of losing her best friend, but Janet had to hear it for herself. Janet valued her relationship with Eddie, but she valued her relationship with Hannah just as much. If not more. They had so much history and traveled to the moon and back together. So, she wanted to give Hannah a fair chance to explain.

"Again, I was scared. I mean, I wasn't proud that I was a whore back then, so Eddie was just part of the team. It was only a onetime thing and we knew it was wrong the second it was over, so we decided to never talk about it again. Let it be. Ya know? It was just, one of those things. And then when you started dating him, I've never seen you so happy Janet! I was not going to ruin that for you or jeopardize our friendship over some stupid mistake **I made** eleven years ago."

Janet smiled. She was proud of her best friend. Hannah was being selfless. Which is something she does not do a lot these days. "Okay. That's all I wanted to know."

"Sooo. You're not mad at me and want to kill me for sleeping with your man?"

Now Janet started laughing. Hannah was so scared! "NO! I mean it might take some time for me to be fully ok with it, but I don't have a grudge against you. If anything it probably was a good thing I didn't know all this time. Because then when Eddie did ask me out, I'm not sure I would say yes knowing that he bedded my best friend. Sure it was a long time ago, but still. You don't take your girls guy."

"Which is something I am eternally grateful for that we never had that problem in all our years of being friends!"

"Exactly."

The girls were so focused on the topic at the table, that they did not notice Eddie walking through the door. He saw them though. Truthfully, after his talk with Janet at lunch, the site of those two girls sitting, talking together, sent a surge of nerves through him. Janet mentioned she wanted to talk to Hannah, but he did not expect that to happen only a few hours later. He did not want to interrupt their conversation, but was dying to know how it was going. As invisible as he could, he made his way through the pub and over to his stool at the bar. Sully noticed he was there and told Karen to get a draft for him.

"So, what goes on with Janet and Hannah? First Hannah comes in here looking like someone just killed her cat, then you come in here very secretive-like."

"Yeah. They just have a lot of serious issues to talk about. I don't want them knowing I'm here right now. That might not be the best thing for Hannah." Sully shrugged and let it be at that. So much drama in a little town.

* * *

"Should I tell Eddie then that he should expect a letter in the mail from your attorney?"

"Oh. Uh- yeah I guess so."

"You know Hannah, I talked to him about this and he is really worked up over it."

"Really?"

"I've never seen him so worried over something. I know I haven't been friends with him as long as you have Hannah, but I know him well enough to know, when he tries to avoid a subject that means he is either embarrassed by it, or he just is scared to talk about it."

"Why is Eddie scared over this?"

"Are you kidding me right now?!"

"No..." Hannah was confused now. Eddie never seemed to be upset by the subject before, why all of a sudden…

"He could be Sam's father Hannah. And nobody knows it. Not even him. Did you ever think that this could be eating him up inside? He only lives a few blocks away from a boy, who he loves dearly, who could quite possibly have his hair. And his eyes… half of his being could be Latekka."

"Yeah, I know that. But why is he worked up about it now?"

"Because he might have to sign his rights away at being a father to a boy he never was a father to."

Hot dayum.


End file.
